After the Elevator
by The.S.M
Summary: Katniss and Johanna get down with it after the incident in the elevator.
1. Chapter 1

It was a relief to be alone with Peeta and Haymitch after such a physically demanding day. The makeup on her face felt heavy, her hair was stiff and thick with hairspray; she longed for a shower to wash it all away.

The door to the elevator was almost completely shut when a slender, French-manicured hand forced its way into the closing space. A split second later and a woman had appeared in the small elevator, a smirk spanning from one corner of her lips to the other.

Katniss recognized her as Johanna from District Seven. She was the girl who had a penchant for axes and had lost it completely on the stage that night, condemning the Capital and shrieking at the disturbed crowd. Katniss had a sneaking suspicion it was a tactical move, but hadn't had time to give it a lot of thought – now, though, the woman was standing right in front of her and seemed to be giving off an extreme amount of heat. It was unnerving.

Johanna's gaze moved from Haymitch, to Peeta, then finally to Katniss, who shifted her weight to the other foot and looked away. Her own fingers found themselves tightly gripping the fabric of Cinna's dress.

"Unzip?" Johanna said simply to Peeta, who was staring at her with his jaw clenched and his eyes wide like a small child looking at something he wasn't supposed to touch. The elevator began its ascent.

"Yeah, sure," he said airily, his face a delicate shade of pink. Johanna turned around and moved her hair out the way.

Katniss didn't know where to look.

Once her fellow tribute had unzipped Johanna's dress – a little too slowly for comfort – she began hastily pulling it off. Her breath was escaping in little exasperated sighs as if the dress had personally offended her. She made a big deal of pulling her arms out the sleeves, then shimmied the dress off her slim body and tossed it to the floor.

Haymitch was not making any attempt to look away. He grinned from ear to ear, thoroughly enjoying Johanna's bold display. Peeta tried with all his might to look away, but his eyes kept involuntarily darting back to the completely naked woman (except for her forest-green slippers).

Katniss was holding her breath.

Her jaw jutted out as she chewed on her lip, determinately not looking at Johanna's frame. The taller woman's hand was on her hip as she continued to blink between the three of them, fully aware of the power she was exerting.

The elevator slowed down and with an almost comical _ding_, Johanna turned away from them and said, as if they'd just finished a coffee and gossip about High School friends – "That was fun! Let's do it again sometime."

Her long hair whipped out of sight and she was gone.

* * *

Katniss bade the boys goodnight. She wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and shook her head, as if that would cause the image of Johanna to fall out of her brain, and punched the code to her room into the door. With a little bleep it unlocked and she pushed it open, running her fingers through her hair to loosen it.

"Oh, there you are, I've been waiting for you for an _eternity!"_

"Effie!" Katniss cried, clutching at her chest in fright. The blonde woman in her violently metallic dress had launched up and out of a chair, her gold makeup catching the light from the lamp beside her, heels echoing on the wooden floor.

"It's only me. Whom did you expect?" she trilled, making sure her hair was still perfectly intact.

"Nobody, I… Effie, why are you here? I need to get ready for bed."

"Yes, yes, I know, you've got a big day coming up. I just wanted to ask you if you'd made any headway on allies."

"No more than I had this morning," Katniss replied shortly, pulling off bangles and taking off her heavy earrings.

"I figured as much," Effie said darkly before continuing. "Well. I've arranged for you to have a little… rendezvous with another competitor tonight. I think, once you two get over your differences, that you'd make a fine team. You need her."

"Who?"Katniss said, feeling her heart rate spike.

Effie paused before continuing.

"The female tribute from District Seven. I've spoken to her mentor about it and we agree, you both need to –"

"Enough," Katniss said. "Fine. When have you organized this for?"

Effie looked taken aback by Katniss' willingness to obey. She had assumed there would have been a fair amount of persuading on her behalf. Effie cleared her throat and smoothed the front of her dress.

"If you bathe now, she should be here by the time you get out."

Katniss nodded. Her eyes lingered on the view out her window, Johanna's outline appearing in her mind's eye.

"Okay. Please, just let me be now," she said, making her way towards the bathroom, hands pulling at Cinna's costume.

Effie began to shuffle out of the room. She'd almost made it out the door when she stopped, pulled a glass bottle filled with clear liquid out of her handbag, and placed it carefully on the coffee table. With a little "mhm," she saw herself out.

* * *

"Who does she think she is," Katniss thought furiously. "Coming into our elevator and stripping like some kind of… and I honestly thought Peeta was above that behaviour…"

The hot water rushed over her exhausted body. The scent of shampoo and the soaps seemed invasive and unreal; when she lived back at District 12, she'd never so much as smelled perfume in her life. Now she craved mountain air like water after a day hunting in the sun.

Katniss whispered some potential, angry retorts at Johanna into the steam. She pictured her smug, crooked smile. Her hair. Her long, dark, eyelashes. At the very least, she reasoned, Johanna would provide a good enough distraction from her thoughts of the television appearance that day. And as far as allies were concerned, well, that was a pipe dream of Haymitch and Effie's.

_Clink._

Katniss turned the faucet off and stepped out. She dried herself, and after stepping into her white PJ shorts and a plain t-shirt, went out into the lounge to wait for Johanna. She was more than ready to give her a piece of her mind.

And what was it with boys and their staring? Why were they so weak to the female form? It puzzled her. Katniss spent so much time and energy worrying about her family, she thought it was bordering on ridiculous to be so overcome by somebody's body.

There was a firm knock at the door. Katniss strode over, ready to dish out some scathing wit to her competitor, and flung the door open wide.

She instantly bit back all the things she'd thought in the shower. Johanna was standing tall, her hand resting in the doorframe, her head tilted to one side. She was wearing a thin black satin dressing gown and by the looks of it, not much else.

"Enjoy the show tonight?" she asked with a crooked grin and a wink.

Katniss held back the door to let her in. Her mouth had stopped working for a few seconds.

"I – I, thought it was a bit extreme to take your dress off. I mean, my outfit wasn't comfortable either, but I wasn't about to go and-"

"I meant the_ television_ show," Johanna scoffed. She took the seat Effie had occupied earlier and folded her legs, the satin dressing gown parting midway up her thigh. Her arms, pale and thin, stretched out along the armchair, and she drummed her fingers on the leather. Her hair was still tied up.

Katniss failed to say anything again. Did Effie really think she had a chance at teaming up with this ego-maniac?

"Relax, Katniss, there are no axes in here," Johanna said, reading the look on her competitor's face.

Katniss, her hair still dripping from the shower, turned away. In a move that was semi-automatic she poured some of Effie's mysterious drink into two glasses. It was most likely Haymitch's.

Katniss handed her visitor a glass. Johanna knocked it back in one go without waiting, and held the glass out for more. Katniss obliged, thankful she didn't have to speak. She'd never been good at talking to other girls. This wasn't about to change.

"You know, I thought this was a bad idea, too," Johanna said after a few moments silence.

Katniss responded by gulping down a large mouthful of liquid that burned her throat. A warmness was spreading over her body, all the way to her fingertips. Johanna's eyes kept catching the light of the lamp. They flashed in Katinss' direction.

"You and Peeta sure are close," she said quietly. Her voice was smooth and she didn't look away for a second.

"Yeah, well. We have to be as convincing as possible," Katniss said awkwardly.

Johanna smirked.

"Figured."

The older woman reached up and in one swift movement let her hair down. It was waist-length, black, and had deep red running through it on one side.

"Will you braid my hair the way you do yours?" she asked suddenly.

Katniss glanced around the room, expecting Peeta or Haymitch to come bounding in with big grins. But they were really quite alone. The voice of Effie trilled in her head; "you need allies, Katniss, if you and Peeta want any chance of surviving!"

"Alright."

Johanna wasted no time in taking a seat on the hard floor in front of Katniss, who stared down at Johanna's length of hair. The last person's hair she'd braided, other than her own, was Prim's.

Katniss reached out and took a handful and let out an audible gasp. It was so soft! Softer than she'd ever felt. Johanna gave a little chuckle.

"It's those Capital chemicals, I tell ya," she said.

Johanna relaxed her shoulders, leaning back into Katniss' legs. The District 12 girl was stiff. It wasn't often she was this close to another person that wasn't Peeta or Gale or Prim. But by the same token, Katniss found that she didn't want to push the girl away. Quite the opposite. She took her time, letting Johanna's hair slide over the backs of her hands, marvelling at its softness, thankful that there was minimal conversation. Prim's hair was always knotty.

As Katniss braided, Johanna relaxed even more. She lifted her arms up and draped them over her competitor's knees. Katniss noticed that Johanna's robe was slipping a little down her shoulder; she had quite prominent collarbones, even though Katniss knew she was strong. After all, she'd seen her throw those axes as if they were matchsticks.

She finished the braid and let her hands rest on Johanna's shoulders. The room was silent except for the sound of fireworks and music far in the distance, no doubt the Capital with their Hunger Games celebrations.

Johanna hadn't moved for so long that Katniss wondered if she was asleep. She lightly tapped her shoulder, and was startled when a manicured hand reached up and met her own fingers. She lightly held Katniss' hand in place with her own as she turned her head, ever so slightly to the side.

Katniss swallowed. Her natural reaction would, in any other situation, be to snatch her hand away and probably shove anyone that tried to get that close to her. But she found herself thinking, strangely, _don't let go._

The eye that Katniss could see was bright and alert. The corner was creased, just like the corner of her lips; they were slightly damp and looked soft to touch.

Katniss was overwhelmed by something she hadn't experienced in the presence of another woman before. She stood, suddenly, knocking Johanna out the way as she stumbled towards her bedroom. Her face was on fire, not to mention – but how could she be thinking about stuff like this when she had the Games to worry about?

Katniss stopped just outside her room. There was a good few feet between herself and Johanna, who was still sitting on the ground, her robe having fallen completely off one shoulder. Katniss did her best to ignore the curve of the woman's chest, which was rising and falling rapidly, despite the fact she was still sitting on the floor.

Katniss wanted to flee into her bedroom, lock the door and bury her head under her pillow. But she stood rooted to the spot. Johanna continued to look up at her with a fiery intensity not unlike the one in the elevator.

The District 12 tribute slowly walked towards her competitor and outstretched her hand.

"Sorry for knocking you out the way," she said quietly as she helped Johanna to her feet.

Johanna didn't say anything. She bore into Katniss' eyes with her own, her face now just inches away.

Katniss' eyes glazed over Johanna's cheekbones. They were high, sharp, and added to Johanna's overall look of strength.

"There's, uh, just a bit of hair coming out of the braid," Katniss said gently. She reached up the short distance and tucked the little bit of hair away.

Johanna repeated her earlier move and placed her fingers over Katniss'. The two women stood stock still, surveying each other in the middle of the living room, fingers linked.

"Have you ever been with a woman before?" Johanna whispered, almost inaudibly.

"No,"Katniss replied.

"Would you like to?"

Katniss swallowed, and realised she was nodding.

"Good," Johanna grinned.

* * *

She pushed Katniss backwards with surprising force. She stumbled, about to crash into the wall –

But Johanna caught her before her back made contact with the white painted surface. Her hands, much stronger than Katniss', held her shoulders in place, pinning her upright.

Katniss' heart was pounding. The area below her waist was hot, and her hips trained forward closer to Johanna, whose torso was only just out of reach.

Johanna brought her face so close that Katniss could feel her breath on her cheek.

"I've wanted to do this since I saw you in the Games last year. I was jealous of your lover boy, I'll admit."

Johanna's voice was like velvet. Katniss met her gaze for three seconds, feeling her competitor's grip loosen as the woman's lips hovered just a fraction above her own.

Katniss took the advantage.

She reached up, lightning fast, and grabbed Johanna's wrists from her shoulders. She brought them behind her back as if she was arresting her and spun the woman around, replacing her in the exact spot Katniss had been just a split second prior – only Johanna was facing the wall instead.

Katniss held Johanna's hands in the small of her back, her own body pressed up against the tribute to stop her from getting away. But Johanna wasn't trying to escape.

"Ah. You're quick. I should have known… archers usually are."

Johanna's hands dug into Katniss' stomach. She wanted to move herself up, or push Johanna down, but she wasn't about to give herself up that easy.

"Don't move," Katniss said, surprised at the clarity of which her voice rang out.

She took a small step back and freed Johanna's hands. Johanna obeyed.

Her robe had almost completely fallen off the left side of her body, exposing her shoulder, the top of her back, all the way to her waist.

Katniss took a finger and traced along the bare skin. She watched as the line she drew erupted in goosebumps, and found that her own skin was doing the same. Johanna gave a drawn out breath. Then she stretched her arm out and took a fistful of Katniss' t-shirt and pulled her back toward her.

Katniss was now held in place by Johanna's hand at her waist. Johanna pushed her hips back into Katniss', who had never in her life experienced such a hot pressure between her legs.

Katniss brought her lips to Johanna's neck.

She smelled incredible. Not all sugary and perfumed like Effie or the other women in the Capital – it was a faint scent, like the pines back home that fringed her district. Katniss' hands took hold of Johanna's narrow waist and pulled her even closer, their hips locking, chests rising and falling as they both felt their desire building to something quite unstoppable.

It happened all at once.

Johanna turned around and Katniss took her competitor's face in her hands and kissed her with a ferocity she'd never shared with Peeta or Gale. Johanna's tongue found its way into Katniss' mouth, and the two started grabbing at clothes and tearing them away.

"Now, I need you now," Katniss breathed into Johanna's mouth.

She wasted no time at all, and picked up Katniss, who wrapped her legs round Johanna's waist. They continued to kiss furiously as they stumbled backwards to the bedroom.

Katniss had never given much thought to being with another woman. How could she, when she was always surrounded by Gale and Peeta who demanded so much of her attention?

But this was unlike anything. The way Johanna's skin felt against hers was unreal. Neither of the boys had ever excited her this much, had never pinned back her hands to the bed with such force –

Slowly, delicately, Johanna planted kisses over Katniss' shoulder. She continued downwards. Katniss was desperate for Johanna to touch her. She tried to wriggle into a position where she could do it herself, but Johanna was far too strong and wanted to take her sweet time.

"Be still," Johanna breathed.

Katniss groaned, and with enormous difficulty, forced every muscle in her body to stop moving. Immediately it was as if the heat was turned up another three notches.

Johanna continued. She trailed her tongue from the woman's chest and down her stomach. Johanna took stock of little scars, here and there, which she kissed softly. She made her way across her hipbones and did the same. Katniss had begun to move again, and by the time Johanna had reached her inner thigh, the pressure was becoming too much. Johanna started to make little circles with her tongue, just inches from -

"Oh!" Katniss cried as Johanna hit the particular spot with the tip of her tongue. "_Oh_."

Katniss was beginning to lose it. She pushed her hips up, wanting more of Johanna in any way possible. Gale or Peeta had never done this to her before. How on earth could something feel so good? Johanna's tongue made patterns on the most delicate part of her body. It was incredible. She was beginning to feel a build up with every second that passed; she knew this was going to be more intense than anything she'd experienced before. And, just when she was almost ready to explode - her hands still pinned at her sides - Johanna stopped.

"Wha -? Why?" Katniss groaned, trying to make contact with any part of the other woman, furious that she had been denied the ultimate release.

"Not yet," Johanna whispered silkily. She took hold of Katniss' wrists again and pushed them into the sheets. Johanna then proceeded to softly run her body up Katniss', taking her time, causing the other woman to writhe beneath her.

Johanna took Katniss' lower lip between her teeth and sucked on it gently.

Katniss couldn't handle it.

She heaved Johanna off her, and tried with all her strength to wrestle the other woman onto her back. The girls fought for a few moments, struggling against the force of each other. Somehow, though, Katniss found herself on top, her knees either side of Johanna's waist, pinning her hands above her head. Johanna tried to squirm free, but knowing Katniss was now in a position of power, relented. She lay still. After a few moments, she raised her neck slightly in an invitation for the other woman to kiss her.

Katniss obliged. It was slow, deep, and passionate. Katiss lowered her body flat to Johanna's.

Katniss' thought it was funny how her body seemed to just know what to do. There were times when she was younger and she'd wondered, how women 'did it'.

She'd never have to wonder again.

She dragged her nails down Johanna's side. It wasn't long before Johanna was showing signs of desperation. Shifting ever so slightly to the left so she could reach her better.

She and Gale had been hot and heavy before, and Katniss recalled how nervous she had been then. She was so conscious of whether or not she was doing it right, whether or not Gale was enjoying it.

But with Johanna underneath her she had absolutely no doubts. She wasn't self-conscious, she wasn't shy – and she wanted the other girl to feel exactly as good as she felt in that moment.

And that's what she planned to do. She moved her hand between Johanna's legs and watched, in awe, as Johanna tossed her head back and arched her spine. She started off slow and it occurred to her, quite suddenly, how familiar Johanna felt. Katniss knew what she liked herself (she'd figured that out many years ago), and so acted that out upon the woman beneath her. Katniss became more confident, her eyes watching Johanna's face tighten.

She brought herself up to Johanna's face and kissed her, just as Johanna cried out. She bit into Katniss' shoulder with force and clamped her hand around her wrist, her nails piercing the skin, her voice echoing around the bedroom. But it didn't hurt. On the contrary.

Johanna's body went weak. She let out a soft laugh, wrapping her long arms around Katniss' torso. Katniss nuzzled her face into the length of black hair, utterly taken by what had just happened. She didn't ever want Johanna to leave her bed.

Ever.

As they caught their breath, Johanna stroked the back of Katniss' head.

"Wow, Kat," she said through a wide smile. "I'd pegged you to be good, but not that good. And you say you've never been with a woman before?"

"Not before now," Katniss replied.

Johanna sat up and gently rolled Katniss onto her back. She looked down at her, her eyes bright and expressive.

"I made you wait. Now it's your turn," she grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

The rebellion was over. Katniss returned to District 12 to help rebuild the town, choosing a quiet place near the edge of the forest to construct her own home.

She hadn't seen Johanna for some time. But she did think about her.

The weight of the rebellion and the tragedy of her sister's death prevented her from seeking the District 7 woman out; she was too busy. Too sad. And Johanna had duties to her own District, of course.

Peeta would spend months at a time at District 13, helping with the establishment of the new Government and restoring order to Panem. Katniss would rarely accompany him. She preferred to do any kind of governmental work from the comfort and quiet of her house, where she could look out the window and avoid the uncomfortable questions that always came her way. She tried to visit other Districts as much as possible. As painful as it was at times, she liked talking to families, victims, people who were no different from her.

Katniss awoke one morning to the phone ringing.

She almost didn't answer it, thinking it would be Peeta. But she groped around and picked up the receiver. Perhaps he was going to have to stay longer?

"Hello?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Hello, Kat. Long time, no hear."

Katniss dropped the receiver on her face. Eyes now wide open, she sat up sharply and readjusted the phone to her ear.

"Johanna?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out. Did I wake you?" she asked. Katniss could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah, but don't worry. I'm glad you called."

Katniss climbed out of bed and pulled the curtains back, allowing the weak autumn light to fill the room. She wasn't sure what day it was.

"It's after midday. Big night last night?"

"Er…"

Katniss' eyes fell on the almost-empty glass bottle by her bed. She wasn't sure if the tightness in her stomach was a result of that or something else.

"A little, yeah," she said, pausing. "Why are you calling? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. Things here are finally approaching a kind of normality. I just want to get the work done."

"I understand that," Katniss replied, winding the bottom of her t-shirt around her thumb and pulling at it anxiously.

There was silence for a few moments.

"I'd like to see you," Johanna said bluntly.

"I'd like to see you too," Katniss replied immediately, sitting back down on the edge of her bed. "Why don't you… come and stay for a bit? I can show you around District 12. The rebuild has gone really well."

"I'd like that. I really would. But what about -"

"It's just me. Peeta's at District 13. He's not going to be back for three weeks."

"Alright. Settled. I can catch a train tonight, if that's not too soon."

Katniss paused.

"No. That's not too soon. Guess I'll… see you tonight, then."

"See you."

She hung the phone up and stared blankly out the window.

* * *

Katniss scrambled to tidy the house. When Peeta was home it was always immaculate, but Katniss let dishes pile up and never bothered to change the sheets.

She cleared the empty bottles off the kitchen table and vacuumed the living room. She took some fresh pillowcases up to the guest room and opened the window.

As she organized the room, flashes of those years ago – the night before the Quarter Quell – filled her mind.

She and Johanna had never talked about it afterwards. After all, it's not as though the time was ever right. The Capital fell, Peeta was captured, Prim died… whenever she found herself thinking too much about Johanna, she'd busy herself with helping the village or disappear into the forest to hunt. She found it hard to believe the other woman would be thinking about her in the same way. Johanna was wild. She probably had done that sort of thing loads of times, Katniss thought.

When the phone rang again, her heart jumped into her throat. She held the receiver to her ear after two rings.

"That was fast."

"Oh. Peeta… it's you."

"Were you expecting someone else?"

Katniss paused.

"I… what's up? Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Peeta said. "I was just calling to check on you."

Katniss felt a pang of annoyance. She didn't like the idea that Peeta had to check on her. She was not a child.

"Everything's fine."

"Great. What are you doing today?"

Katniss faltered before answering.

I'm actually having a guest over."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Johanna Mason."

It's not as though Katniss had planned to tell him, but lying point blank was something she tried to avoid.

"Oh, that's great. I'm glad you'll have company. I was going to ask if you wanted to come here for a bit... I miss you."

Katniss' eyes were fixed out the living room window on the steps that lead up to the front door.

"There's a lot going on here at the moment, Peeta. I was hoping to visit district Eight in a week or so. Maybe next time."

"Sure. Let's just talk about it later. Well, enjoy seeing Johanna. I love you."

Katniss swallowed.

"You too."

* * *

It was close to midnight by the time Johanna knocked at the door. Katniss, who had been sitting by the fireplace, opened it and felt an unfamiliar whoosh in her stomach.

"Guess who," Johanna said with a little wave and a sly smile.

Katniss wasted no time. She threw her arms around the slightly taller woman and hugged her tightly.

After a few moments they broke apart. The corner of her eyes wet, Katniss stood back and took in the form of the woman in front of her.

Johanna was even thinner than she was in the games. Her hair was shoulder length, and it was a little ruffled from the night air. But she wore the exact same smirk as the time she stripped naked in the elevator. She was dressed completely in black.

"Can I come in, or are you going to leave me standing out here in the dark?"

"Oh! Yeah. Sorry."

Katniss lead Johanna, who was carrying nothing but a small backpack, into her living room.

"Nice place you've got. Is it just you and Peeta that live here?"

Katniss put on the kettle and took out two mugs for tea.

"Yeah. He pretty much built this place. He's away a lot, though. Haymitch visits often. Mom… not so much. She spends a lot of time working. She runs the clinic in the village."

Johanna nodded and sighed.

"That's what most people do. Just focus on the work. Doesn't leave a lot of time for much else, does it?"

"Not really."

Katniss handed Johanna the tea and they sat down in the chairs by the fireplace. For some reason, Katniss found it difficult to look at the District 7 woman directly in the eye.

"I thought tomorrow I'd take you around the village. Show you the new markets and public buildings."

"Sounds good."

Johanna smiled as she sipped her tea. It was bizarre, to see her sitting there, as if she always had and always would.

"Mmm. This is delicious."

The little sound Johanna made caused Katniss to inhale her tea. She coughed, her face exploding with colour.

"Careful, now. Don't choke on me."

Katniss put her tea down and went to the kitchen to hide her blushing face. All she could hear in her head was the sound of Johanna, from the time she had cried out in her bedroom all those years ago.

"You alright in there, Kat?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you want anything to eat, or…?"

"No. I'm good with the tea."

Katniss took a few moments to regain composure and then sat back down. Johanna was looking at her with bright eyes.

"I'm really glad I came to see you, Kat."

"So am I. What made you… decide to call?"

"Oh, you know… I was thinking about you. What we've been through." She shrugged. "I don't have a whole heap of friends back home. I missed your face."

Katniss swelled with pride.

* * *

"It's 4am! How did that happen?" Katniss said. She yawned and stretched her limbs.

"Bed time, I think," Johanna replied.

Katniss lead her friend upstairs. She paused outside the guest room, her hand on the door knob. The two had been talking non-stop. About the rebellion, Snow, Coin, the rebuild – thankfully, the subject of Peeta had been sidestepped at every possible turn of the conversation.

"I've got you set up in here," she said, her eyes not quite meeting Johanna's.

"Alright."

Katniss felt her whole body tense up as Johanna took a step forward.

"Goodnight, then," Johanna said quietly.

"Goodnight."

Neither of them moved.

Johanna took another tentative step forward and embraced Katniss, who responded by putting her arms around her waist.

For a while the two stood in complete silence, holding each other. Johanna felt surprisingly familiar. She was warm, soft, and that scent of pine trees was comforting to her.

Katniss thought of Peeta and instinctively let go.

"Is everything okay?" Johanna asked, putting a stray bit of hair behind Katniss' ear.

"Yeah. I should… I should go to bed now."

"Alright," Johanna said. She looked a little crestfallen.

Katniss forced her lips into an awkward smile, then stepped backwards, fumbling around for her own bedroom's doorknob.

"If you need anything, just let me know. 'Night."

"Okay. Goodnight, Katniss," Johanna said, disappearing into the guest room.

Katniss closed the door behind her and realised she'd been holding her breath. Her heart was beating wildly. She opened the window to let the night air in; she was hot. Her hands were clammy.

Things were different this time. She wasn't facing certain death with the Games. She and Peeta were… well, things had progressed, of course.

Katniss paced the foot of her bed.

Twice she gripped the doorknob, caught in a battle that was taking place in her head.

She climbed into bed and turned out the light.

* * *

"Morning," Johanna said brightly as Katniss moped into the kitchen. "Or should I say, 'afternoon'."

Katniss hadn't fallen asleep until the sun had risen. Her eyes widened when she saw that Johanna had made both of them a large breakfast of eggs, toast and potatoes.

"You sure know your way around the kitchen," Katniss said. Johanna gave the other woman a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Had to do something while you lazed around up there."

The two ate in near silence, alternating between making small talk about breakfasts and catching each other's eye. Katniss' stomach felt like a lead balloon and she struggled to keep down the eggs.

What was the matter with her?

Once they finished, they readied themselves for the tour of the District.

There were no clouds in the sky. Katniss tried to walk with a respectable amount of distance apart, but somehow, their shoulders seemed to come back together until they were walking with no light between them.

They walked right round the perimeter of the village. Johanna was impressed; she stopped to admire the handiwork of the District's survivors, and commented on how everyone appeared to be smiling. Perhaps it was because for the first time, in their lives, the people of District 12 were not on the brink of starvation. They were not working their fingers to the bone. They were not afraid of imminent death.

And, Johanna rightly pointed out, the people still saw Katniss as a symbol of peace and victory.

"Of course they're going to be smiling around you. Hell, I can't stop smiling around you," Johanna said as they stopped to rest in the town square. It was almost 4pm, and the sun was beginning to skim the tops of the trees that framed the village. Long shadows were starting to creep up around them. In the distance, a group of young children watched the pair, pointing and smiling and waving.

Katniss felt her cheeks pink up from Johanna's comment and she looked away.

"What's left to see?"

"Well, I've showed you pretty much everything there is to see in the village… I could always take you to the lake. I spend a lot of time there by myself."

"To the lake!" Johanna said, grinning. Then to Katniss' absolute surprise, Johanna took her hand and wound her fingers into her own.

"There. That's better. Now, lead away," Johanna said.

Katniss almost had to verbally tell her feet to start walking. There were kids looking! What if somebody told Peeta? How would she explain that?

But, she realised as the two of them walked past the group of kids, it was hardly out of the ordinary. Two friends holding hands. Nothing more, nothing less. It was only Katniss who was giving more meaning to the gesture.

Right?

The fence that had once closed of the District to the forest had been torn down. The forest stretched off into the mountains – the mountains that anyone was now free to explore. Katniss lead Johanna, her hand still tightly gripped in her own, away from the group of kids and down a now fairly worn track towards the lake.

Johanna whistled an unknown tune and Katniss was reminded of Rue.

"Wow. This is beautiful," Johanna said as they rounded the corner and the lake came into view.

Katniss nodded. They walked a little further and took a seat at the edge of the water. It was beautifully still and clear. The only sound was the wind in the trees. The sun, drooping lower in the sky, was quickly approaching dusk.

Johanna lay down in the grass and stretched out her long limbs. Looking over at Katniss, she gestured for the other girl to join her.

She obliged.

"Can I ask you something?" the District 7 woman asked suddenly, turning on her side and propping herself up on her elbow so she could look directly at Katniss, who stared determinately at the darkening sky.

"Sure."

"Do you have nightmares?"

Katniss nodded. Of course she had nightmares. Just because things had calmed down, it didn't mean that memories wouldn't play havoc with her in the silence and darkness of the night. She frequently slept with the lights on.

"Do you have them?"

Katniss turned her head ever so slightly to the side and saw, with a jolt, that a tear was pooling in the corner of her eye.

"Every fucking night."

"Is there nothing that helps? I'll admit, I've been resorting to Haymitch's habits. It does give a little relief."

Johanna wiped her eye and sniffed. She looked annoyed with herself.

"There's only one night I haven't had a nightmare in the last two decades."

Katniss turned her head back towards the sky and locked her eyes on the only star that was flickering against the light purple sky. She clenched her jaw.

"Do you know what night that was?" Johanna asked quietly.

Katniss thought if she looked at Johanna now she might run away. Every muscle in her body tightened, her eyes burning, her breath shallow.

"What night?" Katniss said, barely audible. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains now. It would be completely dark soon.

Johanna moved, suddenly, and in an instant she was poised on all fours above Katniss, her knees either side of her waist. Her face was about 12 inches away, and now Katniss had no choice but to look directly at her.

"The night I was with _you_."

Katniss was transfixed. She could feel Johanna's breath on her forehead. She was conscious of the other woman's pelvis directly above her own. Words faltered, again and again, on her lips. If she opened her mouth and spoke then she would be making a choice. And that choice would, without a doubt, change the course of her future.

"I know things have changed… since," Johanna continued. "But I had to come here, I had to… try. I had to let you know that I feel like myself when I'm with you."

Katniss clenched the long grass in her fists.

"I understand if you… I know your life is here."

She was talking about Peeta. Peeta… somewhere, miles and miles away, Peeta was probably having dinner. Probably trying to call.

Johanna must have seen the fear flash behind the other woman's eyes, for she made to get off her.

"Don't!"

Katniss reached up and stopped Johanna by placing her fingers gently on the side of her face. It was instinctive.  
"Don't move," she repeated.

She moved her thumb along Johanna's sharp jawline, her hair brushing over the back of her hand.

Katniss closed her eyes.

Johanna lowered herself slowly, until her lips made contact with Katniss'.

* * *

It was as if everything had slowed to a complete stop with just a kiss. Katniss brought up her other hand and ran it through Johanna's hair. She realised this was what she had been missing for months.

The pressure of Johanna's form sent ripples of heat through Katniss' body, and she pulled the woman even tighter to her.

Katniss rolled Johanna onto her back and started kissing her neck. She began at her shoulder and left a trail up her collarbone, to her cheek, her nose, and finally back to her lips.

Johanna lightly pulled at Katniss' lower lip with her teeth.

Katniss responded by pushing her hips into Johanna's, a little moan escaping her mouth. That was by far one of the sexiest things anyone could do to her while kissing.

Her hands wandered up Johanna's black t-shirt. Her stomach was firm, but she knew, even though covered by her bra, that her chest would be softer than anything.

Katniss reached under Johanna's back and with one movement had unclasped it.

"I maintain that you've done this before me," Johanna laughed. "That's a skill, I tell you."

But the words were not responded to. Katniss was now exploring underneath the bra, marvelling at the bare skin.

Johanna leaned up on one elbow, and with one hand, reached up the back of Katniss' t-shirt and unclasped hers.

"I'm guessing that I'm definitely not the only girl you've done this with."

"You'd be guessing correctly. But… I'm not thinking about them right now."

Johanna's hands trailed up the side of Katniss' waist and her skin erupted in goosebumps. She sat up so that Katniss' legs were wrapped around her waist; they went back to kissing furiously.

Katniss was getting agitated. She and Peeta were barely ever intimate (mostly due to her choosing), and the last time she had experienced something so intense was with the woman she was currently kissing. Just the thought of it made her want toss Johanna backwards onto the grass and fuck her endlessly.

Johanna was getting impatient too. With force, she pushed Katniss back onto the grass. In one swift movement she tore her t-shirt off. Her shorts followed quickly, until she was lying in nothing but her underwear.

Johanna pulled them off, slowly, with her teeth.

"Please…" Katniss begged when she couldn't take it anymore.

Johanna didn't tease her this time. Her hands went straight to where Katniss needed them.

"Oh…"

She started off slowly. Katniss was transported somewhere else; nobody had ever, ever made her feel this good.

She wasn't aware that she was making so much sound. How could she not? Johanna was picking up speed. Her back was arching. She dug her nails into Johanna's thighs as she went over the edge. Johanna clamped her hand over her mouth just in time, but it wasn't enough to stop her muffled groans from echoing around the lake.

* * *

Katniss needed a few minutes to return to earth. A quarter crescent moon was out, which provided just enough light for her to see Johanna's face in the dark. She was wearing a smug smile; she was definitely pleased with herself.

Katniss reached over and kissed her.

"That was amazing," she said. Her body was sweaty and her heart was only just starting to return to a normal pace.

"I'm glad, because it was amazing for me too," Johanna replied.

The two began kissing again. Katniss loved to run her hands through Johanna's soft hair, and feel the way she moved...

Things began to intensify again. Katniss had taken off Johanna's shirt and was moving her way down her chest. Her tongue was making little circles on her stomach when –

_"…Katniss? Katniss, are you out there?"_

She thought she had imagined it at first. But the voice kept calling out into the dark and there was no mistaking whose it was.

"Fucking fuck!" Katniss hissed.

"Is that – _no_," Johanna replied.

The two began scrambling around, trying to find their clothes in the almost pitch-dark.

_"Katniss? Katniss?"_

It was Peeta, and from what it sounded like, he was no more than twenty metres from them.

[you guys can follow me on tumblr at: thesatelliteminds]


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